ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from GTA 6 pre-orders to our Oura Ring 5 review | usagoldmines.com

It’s been another packed week of technology news, and TechRadar has been covering all of the stories that matter: the Prime Day deals, the Apple price hikes, new devices from Oura and Sonos, and plenty more besides.

If you haven’t been able to check in regularly on our site, this weekly ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) round-up is here to get you up to speed. You can browse through the headlines that matter below, and click the links for the full articles.

Get yourself comfortable and review the past week below, and we’ll be back again this time next week for another ICYMI summary.

7. We scoured the Prime Day deals

You may have noticed that it’s been Amazon Prime Day this week — it’s now spread across multiple days of course — and the TechRadar team has been busy searching across every Amazon category to bring you the best deals: we’ve found discounts on TVs, laptops, headphones, smartwatches, smart home gadgets, tablets, and plenty more besides.

No matter what you’re in need of tech-wise at the moment, our US and UK round-up pages have a variety of deals that will fit, and a lot of these discounts are genuinely substantial — and many are still going. Together with the latest prices and links for each product, we’ve also included our expert tech advice in each case, so you know exactly why which offers are worth pursuing.

• Read more: We’re tracking the best Prime Day tech deals live — 121 biggest discounts on Apple, Samsung, Kindle, Sony, and more

6. We reviewed the Oura Ring 5

The Oura Ring 5 is a substantial step up from its predecessor: it’s slimmer, lighter, and more durable, as well as offering extra battery life — and according to our review, you might even forget you’re wearing it. Oura has managed to refine the device’s appearance so it looks like a normal piece of jewelry, even with the cutting-edge sensors inside it.

“It’s easily the most stylish and accurate smart ring around,” our review states, though it’s not perfect, and there’s that usual Oura subscription fee to consider if you want to access most of the tracking features. If you’re wondering whether the Oura Ring 5 is the right wearable upgrade for you, then we’ll tell you everything you need to know below.

• Read more: Oura Ring 5 review — a luxury smart ring for discreet everyday wellness tracking that’s (almost) easy to forget you’re wearing

5. Meta revealed its cheaper smart glasses

Meta has treated us to a bumper crop of new smart glasses, starting at $299 / £269 / AU$599 and developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. We’ve got all the details here, including how they feel to wear, and a rundown of the design and color variations you can pick from — you certainly can’t complain that there isn’t enough choice in this batch.

We’ve also got comments from Meta CTO and Head of Reality Labs Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth, who outlined the company’s vision of a smart spec future, and said “it’s pretty easy to make glasses that don’t look good, it turns out”. That seems to be a humorous dig at some of Meta’s rivals in the space, but see what you think of the new Meta Glasses range.

• Read more: ‘Our goal is to reach every corner of the market’: Meta CTO Andrew ‘Boz’ Bosworth on the new $299 EssilorLuxottica Meta Glasses

4. We reviewed the latest Sonos speaker

The Sonos Era 100 SL wireless speaker is more affordable than the Era 100 that launched before it, but as our detailed review will tell you, Sonos has been able to pull this off without making too many compromises. Most importantly, the quality of the sound doesn’t drop even though the price does, so you still get a top-tier listening experience.

Our review takes you through every aspect of the Era 100 SL speaker, from how easy it is to set up initially, to the sort of performance you can expect from it — with London Grammar and DJ Shadow included in the artists whose music we used for testing — and there’s praise for “quality sound”, “great connectivity”, and “iconic design” along the way.

• Read more: ‘A better price for the same performance’: I reviewed Sonos’ cheaper Era 100 SL wireless speaker, and was shocked at how few concessions were made to make this a bargain

3. The Steam Machine got an official price tag

It’s been a long wait for the Steam Machine, but we’re nearly there, and now know that the starting price is set at $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609, and we can thank the price inflation driven by the RAM crisis for that. If a Steam Machine is still within your budget, you’ll be able to put in an order from June 29, more than seven months after it was first announced.

If you don’t think that’s good value, then we’ve put together a guide to building your own Steam Machine alternative below. You get full control over the budget and the specs of the components you choose, and it can be a lot of fun too (as we can say with confidence given the years of PC building experience on the TechRadar team).

• Read more: Disappointed by the Steam Machine’s official price? Build your own mini gaming PC instead with these deals

2. Apple revealed its painful price hikes

Speaking of the RAM crisis, it just hit Apple too: the company has racked up the pricing on many of its products, including iPads, MacBooks, and even the HomePod. The recently launched MacBook Neo, for example, now has a starting price of $699 rather than $599 in the US — a not inconsiderable rise of $100 or 17% in a single jump.

We’ve got all the details of how much more expensive each Apple gadget is now, with these price increases effective immediately on the official Apple Store. We’ve also got some ideas about where you can still find these Apple products at their original prices from third-party retailers — though you’ll have to move fast to grab them.

• Read more: Apple just delivered the worst kind of news: price hikes across many of its major products (even the Neo) — and yes, RAM prices are to blame

1. GTA 6 pre-orders finally went live

After two substantial delays, GTA 6 is finally going to go on sale on November 19, and you can get your pre-orders in now for the PS5, the Xbox Series X, or the Xbox Series S. You’ve got a $79.99 / £69.99 Standard Edition and a $99.99 / £89.99 Ultimate Edition to choose between, and we’ve got links for you to all the top US and UK retailers right here.

We’re also going to keep an eye out for any bundles that these stores are offering, meaning you can pick up the game and a console at the same time — so check back often if you’re interested. It’s exciting that pre-orders are now live for what could be the video game of the decade, and we only have five more months to count down until launch day.

• Read more: GTA 6 pre-orders live — bundles arrive, while almost all major US and UK retailers have stock